


Hard Day's Night

by In_love_with_writing002



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Benny Lafitte Being an Asshole, But I don't really know, Castiel (Supernatural) Likes anime, Castiel (Supernatural) Loves Animals, Castiel is a Good Friend, College, Dean Needs A Hug, Dean Winchester is a mechanic, Dean is a Bad Influence, Dean is a Good Friend, Dean likes anime, Emotional Roller Coaster, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Human Castiel, Human Gabriel, Hurt Dean Winchester, I Don't Even Know, I don't think anyone will die, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, M/M, Multi, Not Like Twist and Shout - gabriel & standbyme, Poor Jessica, Random references, Sam and Gabriel's sexcapades, Sam is the Voice of Reason, The Author Regrets Nothing, There's more - Freeform, Who needs tags anyways, Work In Progress, You Have Been Warned, author needs more sleep, dean plays football, everyone is about the same age, humany wumany
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2018-11-18 06:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11285991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_love_with_writing002/pseuds/In_love_with_writing002
Summary: Dean Winchester never thought he'd find a love like the one his roommate, Samuel Campbell had. But then Castiel Novak painted his way into his heart.





	1. Friends for Everyone, Even Sam!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story and I still have no idea where this is going, so you know. Let me know what you think!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Dean. And Sam.
> 
> Sam wants Dean to meet someone, can you guess who?

**Dean**

 

"What do you mean, a new guy? You can't just throw in someone to the group, Sam." Dean Winchester was sitting on the couch with his best friend, Sam Campbell. They attended a state college, but honestly, who cares about all that background when your best friend just told you he made a new friend and wants you to meet him? Why would you want to go out and meet people when you could just hide in the safety of a dorm room and bother only with classes and trying to figure out where the remote is?

"Dean, you're over reacting. He's in a lot of my classes, okay? We were bound to get to know each other. When you share a major, that tends to happen." Sam scoffed. Dean hated that stupid bitch face. It sounded way too much like Sam saying "Stop being such an idiot." "It's not like I'm going to replace you."

"Well yeah, who can replace me?" Dean folded his arms over his chest defiantly.

"I ask myself that question every day." Sam laughed, shaking his head. "Don't you have a class in an hour?"

Dean stood up. He checked the time; it was only one in the afternoon. "Yeah, but still. I'm not going to give up on this kid, Sam. You can't get away from this topic." Dean glared and gestured with a finger for emphasis.

"You know you said the same thing about Gabriel, and look where we are now. Gabriel ended up being a 'cool guy,' what makes you think things'll be any different”, Sam reminded Dean, using air quotes.   _Why did he insist on quoting Dean from years ago?_

"That was _years_ ago!  Well, you don't plan on dating him, right?” With Gabriel, I was concerned for Jess. I am shocked to this day how you got that girl to agree to a... what did you call it? polyester? poly...."

"Polyamorous. And if you had actually paid attention to my relationships and not threatening to murder them if they so much as break a glass that cuts me, then maybe you would know that Jess was the one who encouraged us to keep Gabriel as a boyfriend." Sam quirked a brow.

“Sure. I’ll believe that when you finally admit I gave Ben Affleck a run for his money as Batman.” Dean offered his own scoff and Sam rolled his eyes. “Stop being such an idiot.” The eye roll had that same connotation as the bitch face. _God damn it Sam._

“That was seven years ago, Dean. Will you let that go?” Sam seemed to whine in exasperation. But how could he be exasperated?  Dean made a damn great Batman and he knew it. Sam just wouldn’t admit it. He was certain he could make any superhero wish they were him. Heck, Dean could make a pretty great superhero too. He could do all kinds of things, right! Why not call him sportsman? So maybe throwing a basketball backwards and having it land in the hoop maybe wasn’t the greatest superpower, but hey. Sports looked good on a football team application.

“No way! Hey, that throw made the team for me, I’m sure. I’m totally Batman.” Dean tilted his head. “Name one reason why I could never be Batman.” He demanded.

“Your parents didn’t die when you were a kid.” Sam countered smoothly.

“Yeah, so that just means that-”

“You’re afraid of the dark.” He continued.

“You never know what’s-”

“And you hate bats.” Okay, Sam had a point there. Ever since summer camp in seventh grade when a bat had flown into his tent while he was trying to change, he’d hated the stupid flying rats.

“Okay, see that one’s just mean.” Dean frowned. Sam shrugged.

“It is what it is. I said back then, and will continue to say until you give up. You. Are. Not. Batman.” Sam poked Dean in the chest after every word to really get his point across.

“Okay, okay, _fine_. Whatever. How did we even get to this topic anyways?” Dean scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“We were talking about how I want you to meet Ca- er, the guy in my art classes,” Sam answered. Dean’s frown deepened. _Why didn’t Sam tell him his name?_

“What did you say his name was?” Dean asked.

“I’ll let you find that out when you meet. Because seriously, Dean. He’s a nice guy.” Sam stood up and began to walk towards the kitchen, so of course, Dean stuck his tongue out as he walked away.

“Sure, whatever. I’m going to eat and head over to the auto shop.” Dean stood and followed Sam into the kitchen. He knew there was still leftover mac and cheese from the night before, and Dean had gotten fried chicken from Save-mart earlier in the day. And damn if he didn’t love that combination. He grabbed the ravaged macaroni from the fridge and stuck a leg from the bag by the microwave into it, nuking it in the microwave.

“Ugh, that’s disgusting. Why can’t you just eat a granola bar or something like a normal person?” Sam asked, his face one of pure disgust.

“Don’t knock it ‘till you try it, Sammy.” He scoffed, pulling it out before the final second was up so he didn’t have to deal with the obnoxious beeping sound. He grabbed a fork and sat at the small circular table in the kitchen, devouring his greasy, unhealthy, but fucking delicious snack. “Cause this is good.”

“I’ll take your word for it and head over to Gabe and Jess’.” He made a face and grabbed a water bottle before heading out.

“Whatever. His loss.” He mumbled and continued eating. Hopefully, this mystery guy wasn’t going to cause any trouble. Dean didn’t want to think about the last time something happened to Sam, because Ruby was awful. He just wanted everyone to get along.


	2. Isn't Balthazar a Piece of Art?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet and learn a bit about Castiel and his new roommate!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to try to update at least once a week if not more. I just want to knock out a few chapters though, because who knows who'll read this while I'm asleep and demand more. I may be able to get three or so out before I pass out.

**Castiel**

 

As Castiel walked through the hall to his dorm room, he heard someone speaking.

"That's it, love, yes, yes, that's perfect. Of course, you're gorgeous. How could any man not appreciate a body like yours? That idiot wouldn't know beauty if it bloody sat on his desk. Okay, next one. Perfect!"

"Shit! Sorry, man!" Castiel bumped into someone and stumbled backward, but the other person grabbed him before he fell. "You alright?" He asked.

"Just fine, thank you. Carry on." He didn't want to talk to more people than he needed, and he was so close...

"Yeah, sorry about that. Gotta get to class, you know? Anyways, later!" The guy ran off, and Castiel brushed himself off. The voices grew louder and more distinct. He opened the door, not knowing what to expect. But the voice sounded British. He saw a man holding a... camera? And a woman posing in bright lights.

"Uhh..." Castiel decided to make his presence known and cleared his throat. "Are you... Balthazar Shurley?" He asked the man behind the camera.

"You must be my one thirty. Have a seat on the couch love, I'll be there in a jiffy." He said and continued to snap photos of the woman. "Lovely darling. And remember smile! Now, look angry!  Afraid!  Angry again!  Surprised! Oh yes, the lighting makes this perfect, don't you think? Oh bollocks, I touched the lens..." Castiel just looked around awkwardly. He knew this was his dorm room... what was going on?

"I'm not here for pictures, actually..." Castiel tried to say, but he was distracted by the photos on the wall. There was one in black and white of two grinning ladies and a young man whose eyes were alight with excitement. The women had their hands on his shoulders, looking proud. Another photo had a man and a furry dog, also in black and white. Then the final one was of who Castiel guessed was Balthazar, as he had guessed he was in the first picture. In this one, he was holding a young girl, a little sister or cousin perhaps. Castiel doubted she was his daughter.

"Well, whatever it is you need, I've got just a few more pictures to take. Could you wait a moment?" Balthazar was cleaning off the lens of his camera. "There we go. That pesky fingerprint knows nothing of the wrath of a warm washcloth. We'll get right back into it! One from the right, now. No, my right." There were more snaps.

"Alright then." Castiel dropped onto the couch and opened his backpack, removing his tattered old sketchbook. He flipped to a page near the back where he'd been working on a pencil drawing of a man playing guitar, and continued to draw. He wished he could find a guitar so he could figure out the smaller details, but he thought maybe his memory could be enough. This picture was a memory of the year before he started college, his senior year of high school. One of the many instrumentalists he admired at the school had decided to go up on stage at a performance rally, and Castiel had been in attendance. He had sung "All of Me" by John Legend, and since that day it had been his favorite song. In the drawing, the man's mouth was open around one of the 'a' vowels, but it formed more of an 'O' shape. His eyes were closed, the guitar was sitting in his lap, he had one foot on his knee to support it as he sat on a stool that had a back. A microphone sat in front of him, pointed towards his mouth. Castiel began drawing the guitar string, curved under the shape of his pick as he strummed it.

"That's a real talent that you have there." Castiel was startled from his thoughts by a woman's voice. "Well, good luck with Balthazar. He seems nice, but he was pretty stern." Castiel barely heard her. He was trying to get his heartbeat to calm down.

"Sorry about the wait, love. Balthazar, Balthazar Shurley. What's your name?" Balthazar plopped himself on the seat across from Castiel as the woman was leaving.

"Novak. My name is Castiel Novak." He sighed. He closed his notebook and set it aside. "This is my dorm room." He decided that to keep things short may be his best bet in communicating without screwing up his words.

"But this is _my_ dorm room!" Balthazar gasped. "Unless we're roommates?" He grinned. "I've been in this place for a year already. Longer technically because I've visited several times, but I started attending recently." He looked around.

"This is my first year. My first day of classes just finished, but I have more in the afternoon tomorrow." Castiel shrugged. "I visited in high school a few times I suppose, but not much beyond that." He gave himself a mental pat on the back for not messing up.

"Well, welcome to the school! What sort of classes are you taking?" Balthazar leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on folded hands.

"Art, mostly. Advanced figure drawing, art styles, a workshopping class, a few others... But I'm also taking a psychology class." Castiel decided his one class that wasn't art related and was fascinating was maybe worth mentioning. "I focused on art in high school, and I'm hoping to transfer to an official arts university in the future, like Pratt or RISD, maybe even somewhere out of the country." He decided while he was gushing about his passion he might as well get that into the open too.

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out, love. Good luck with that!" Balthazar slapped his hands on his knees and stood. "Shall we lay down the law for our living situation then?" Balthazar was walking away, but he soon returned with a pad of paper and a pencil.

"It seems to be appropriate." Castiel smiled.

"I think we'll get along great, Cassie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, dear Chuck, I need to sleep more.
> 
> Also, NopeNopeArtichoke has joined to be a beta/assistant writer.


	3. What a Sweetheart!

**Sam**

 

_One day earlier_

 

Sam covered his mouth with a hand to stop from laughing. “Damn it Gabe, shut up! I’m going to do a spit take one of these times.” He chastised after swallowing his mouthful of water.

“Who says I’m not trying to cause one?” Gabriel waggled his eyebrows playfully and Sam jokingly pushed his shoulder, rolling his eyes. Jess walked back into the room and plopped onto the couch between them, the two men immediately huddling around her excitedly. She opened her laptop.

“Okay, Sam. It looks like there are… about ten other people in Advanced Figure Drawing, and six in Visual Art Workshop. Hey, one of the same people is even in Art Styles, that’s all three classes!” Jess pointed out one guy in particular.

“Castiel Novak. Huh.” Sam squinted at the name and photo. “I’ll see if I can find him during class. Maybe a potential groupie!” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, grabbing Gabriel’s arm to pull his hand closer. The other man complied and they held hands while Jess continued to look at the classes.

“Make sure he doesn’t flirt with you. I don’t know about Jess, but I’m a jealous, possessive kind of guy. And clearly he has eyes, everyone notices how friggin’ hot you are.” Gabriel winked at Sam.

“Jesus, Gabe. It’s not like I _try_ to go out and flirt with people.” Sam sighed, exasperated.

“Whatever.” Jess scoffed and kissed Sam’s cheek. “He’ll still notice you.” Sam grinned shyly and blushed, ruffling her hair.

“Okay. I won’t even pay a lot of attention to this, what was his name?”

“Castiel,” Jess answered.

“I won’t even pay Castiel a lot of attention. But I’m sure he’s a nice guy, and I’ll chat with him if the situation calls for it.” Sam vowed. “Happy?” He asked.

“Very.” Gabriel let go of Sam’s hand as he stood, walking over to the jar of random candies he kept on the counter by the small fridge that the bigger dorm rooms gloriously contained. He fished out a bright red hard candy and peeled the metallic wrapper off, popping it in his mouth before returning to the couch.

“So, when do you have to leave?” Jess asked. Sam looked at the ridiculous cat with a swinging tail cuckoo clock.

“I think I’ll be safe leaving in another ten minutes.” He decided.

“No, get out of here. You’ll probably end up getting lost and someone’s going to be wondering where the moose came from. Head on out, me and Jessie can make do with what we’ve got here.” Gabriel ushered him out and Sam reluctantly stood up.

“But I-”

“Butts are for sitting and fun things, love. Head to class. We’ll be fine. It’s our room anyways!” Jess too? Why were they always so mean to Sam? He just wanted a hug.

“Can I get a hug then?” He hadn’t even finished his sentence before Gabriel and Jessica had enveloped him in a strong embrace that made Sam’s heart just a little warmer.

“I love you, Sam!” Jess kissed his right cheek which she had declared hers in the beginning of their relationship, and Gabriel repeated the declaration, kissing Sam’s other.

“I love you back. Bye!” He grabbed his stuff and walked out the door to head down to his class.

 

_Ten minutes later_

 

 _I knew I could make it!_ Sam thought as he walked into his classroom with a grin. Didn’t get lost this time. _Shows what they know, HA!_ He set his backpack down at one of the nearby tables and waited. About eight other people were already in the room, so there were only two more people that had to show up. The next person, a girl, walked in confidently and sat at the back, taking out a large sketchbook. A disheveled man walked in soon after her holding a thermos of what was hopefully coffee.

“Hey, so my name’s Chuck Shurley, I really don’t care what you call me. I’m the only teacher who’s actually going to tell you like it is. I’m tired, and I’m probably just going to scroll through clickbait or something while we’re here anyway.” The man said, setting his thermos down on the desk. “I’m going to put up an image of a person and you’ve got… however long this class is to try and draw three or more specific things about their body. At the end of class, _legibly,_ write your name, date, and class name at the bottom of your drawings and leave them on my desk on your way out.  I will look them over and write some critique for next class.” He yawned and sat down in the chair at his desk. “Ugh, these chairs are so uncomfortable.” He grabbed a little remote and flipped on a projector, displaying an image on the screen of a faceless figure. Sam heard pencils begin scribbling and reached down to grab a pencil from his backpack to sketch out the person’s arms and torso. Upper bodies were much harder to draw, but who was Sam to say no to a challenge?

“My apologies for my tardiness.” A voice broke out, deep and slightly rough as the door shutting could be heard.

“I don’t care. No one pays attention to attendance in my classes anyways, just results. Go sit down and bust out your doodle pencils.” Chuck, as Sam decided to call him, declared. Sam looked up from his crude base sketch of a torso and saw Chuck and another man talking. Dark, bedhead hair strewn about, pale skin, and what looked like a briefcase in hand. _That must be Castiel. I didn’t see anyone else who looked like him when we were looking at class photos earlier._ His suspicions were confirmed the moment Chuck asked for his name, then Castiel walked to a seat next to Sam. The room was small anyway, it only had twenty or so chairs in it.

“Hello,” Castiel commented to Sam as he set his stuff down, popping open the briefcase. Holy mother of the Gods, it was like the holy grail of art supplies. Sam felt his jaw drop as he looked on at charcoals in little boxes, sketching crayons in multiple colors, erasers for years, pure graphite pencils, paintbrushes, a three-by-seven set of paints, a can of pencil setter, two blending sticks, x-acto knives, pencil sharpeners, Prisma colored pencils, multicolored pens, quality markers of various thicknesses- “I see you observing my supplies. Anything you’d like to use?” How did Sam even answer that?

“Uh, no, I’ll be fine with my own stuff. Thanks.” He smiled, really wanting to try everything, it was just that glorious. Castiel shrugged and took out a mechanical pencil from his backpack and one of the graphite pencils, shutting the case.

“What sections did you choose?” He asked, peeking over Sam’s shoulder.

“Why are you talking to me?” Sam asked amiably. He wasn’t offended or anything, just curious. The guy didn’t seem like the social type, and Sam was perfectly comfortable in the silence.

“Because I saw that you were in all of my art classes and figured I’d get to know you,” Castiel replied easily, not taking his eyes off of Sam’s picture.

“Well then… I decided to do the torso, arms, and hands. I’m pretty confident in my ability, and I figured it was a little challenge, as tops are harder to detail, and honestly, who couldn’t use the practice drawing hands?” Castiel accepted Sam’s words and sat back and began to draw. _Wow! He’s got a hell of a talent!_  Sam thought, impressed. As he began steadily turning lines and circles into a torso, he wondered when the class actually ended, as Chuck sure didn’t know.  He really just wanted to get back to Jess’ dorm room and his lovers, for victorious sexytimes, celebrating the successful infiltration into Castiel’s tiny friend-group. He wondered if the guy was busy. Dean would probably like to meet him. If he didn’t jump to conclusions about him first.

“Crap.” A voice whispered beside him, and Sam saw Castiel trying to erase something. "And one of the good pencils. Crap.” He was pouting. He was holding one of those graphite pencils from the box, but it had chipped at the top.

“Can’t you just... sharpen it?” He asked. He didn’t understand why he was so upset.

“No. If I do that I run the risk of the pencil breaking in half. And then I’d have to start over again.” He popped open the case and took out an x-acto knife. He removed it from its case along with one of the pencil sharpeners and took the top off the sharpener, and began to scratch the graphite pencil, the shavings falling into the bottom of the sharpener. Sam looked at Castiel’s drawing. The entire body. Almost exactly the same as in the picture but it looked more… real. It had a certain depth to it that made it look less like a random figure and more like a person. The way the skin dipped at the hips. The curves of the torso that wasn't so dramatic. The way the hands looked like they could come off the paper and grab you. Sam was astonished. Skill didn’t even approach what he wanted to describe it as. Stunning. Beautiful. Alive. Sam thought for sure he would end up writing poetry about his drawing, and yet, there was something to it that made it look incomplete, rough, like just the beginning. Sam turned his eyes back to his drawing and felt insecure.

“Your drawing looks good so far.” He said a little dumbly.

“I’ve seen better.” Was all Castiel stated, and things fell silent as they resumed working.

The class ended without a hitch, but they stayed in the room as Art Workshop began. The only difference was, Chuck looked a little more alive. But he was still hunched over typing. Five new people entered the class and things were very similar to the last class. But this time they used a drawing they’d already made and shown it to a person nearby. Castiel and Sam exchanged theirs. Sam took one look at it though and was left speechless. “How are you not famous?” he demanded to know.

“I don’t get out much. I think the most I would do is sell commissions online. I doubt I could ever sell publicly.” Castiel huffed.

“Do you have any other works? Preferably with a medium other than a pencil?” Sam asked.

“Yes, I have one with watercolor and ink.” Castiel shuffled uncomfortably. “But it’s not really one I show a lot. It’s personal.” He muttered. Sam nodded.

“It’s fine. Just curious.”

 

_Normal time_

 

When Sam got back to Gabriel and Jess’ dorm room, he was particularly frustrated with Dean.


	4. Coming Clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally hearing what happened in Sam's life with Ruby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to put a trigger warning in this chapter for a discussion of addiction and drugs. If you or a loved one that you know has an unhealthy addiction or something that might be unhealthy, please talk to someone. This is a rather serious chapter and I hope that I made up for it with the fluff at the end.

**Sam**

 

“Dean. Fucking. Winchester.” Sam growled out as he sat on the couch by Jess, Gabriel on the other side.

 

“Oh no,” Jess said, adopting a tone, not unlike a mother worried about their child. “What did he do this time?” She asked, face full of exasperated amusement.

 

“Did you tell him about Castiel?” Gabriel asked. Sam nodded, grabbing a pillow from the seat. “And? What did he say?” Gabriel kicked his legs back and forth before sitting cross-legged on the couch.

 

“He accused me of not choosing good people to spend my time with.” Sam rolled his eyes and scoffed.

 

“Well, I mean, with your track record of people you choose to spend time with, I can understand why he’s concerned.” Gabriel pointed out. Sam glared at him until he saw a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. “Okay, maybe that was a little harsh. Especially considering I meant him. I’m, of course, a joy to be around, and Jess, well...” Jess giggled lightly.

 

“Well, I haven’t met him yet, but I’m sure Castiel is a nice guy. Dean’s just overly cautious. Although, everything with Ruby those years ago was…” She trailed off. Gabriel threw his hands in the air exasperatedly.

 

“When are you guys going to tell me who this Ruby chick was?” He demanded. Sam sighed and patted the space next to him. Gabriel sat down immediately, but a little closer than Sam had indicated, which made him smile a little.

 

“It’s a long story, but I think I can shorten it for your sake.” Sam began.

 

“Ruby was someone Dean and I met in middle school. Sixth grade. She was absolutely perfect to me, and she was always so nice to me, and was beautiful… basically, a nightmare disguised as a daydream.” At this, Gabriel snorted. “Shush, I know it was a reference. Anyways, I told Dean about her and they met and he immediately didn’t like her. But I told him he wasn’t actually family and couldn’t control me, and we got into a huge fight… Ruby was the only one who would listen to me. The first time she offered to “help me get rid of his influence on me” I thought she meant just cheering me up. To this day, I can’t remember what she gave me that first time.” Sam muttered. Gabriel’s eyes widened.

 

“Sam did she-”

 

“She’s in jail now, Gabe. But not before she continued “helping” me, and eventually…” He looked at his arm for a moment. “She asked if I was scared of needles.” He sighed. “Of course, I told her no, because every day she helped me forget about Dean. I just wanted to forget. Then when the heroin came in I got addicted. I knew it after the second time, that I’d never been able to go back. My grades crashed. I lost my best friend. But Ruby told me as long as we were together, nothing could touch me. I guess I should have been more worried about her. When I finally realized how toxic she was, it was because Dean had found me in an alley with the shit in my arm, by a building on fire. I.. I started it. Ruby told me we could be together forever and I said yes… she gave me the match and disappeared. Dean carried me to the hospital, I told him everything, Ruby got arrested… And then I got clean.” He got up to pull a button out of his bag, one that proudly displayed “three years” in block letters. He offered it to Gabriel, who looked like he was about to cry.

 

“I can’t believe that happened to you…” He stood up and tackled Sam in a hug. “You’re incredible, Sam.” Gabriel sniffed. Sam wrapped his arms around his waist and Jess came over and set a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m so proud of you.” Sam smiled warmly, and then even he felt like crying. His eyes were watering up as he pulled Jess into their hug.

 

“Thank you… I… I really should have told you sooner. I’m sorry. But… I just don’t like thinking about it. I’m glad the truth’s out though. Thank you for listening.” Sam kissed Gabriel’s forehead and Gabriel continued to snuggle against his chest. He let out a sigh and laid back on the couch, looking up at Jess. She smiled at him and began petting Gabriel’s head, who immediately shuffled so his head was in her lap.

  
  


“Wait, so where does Jess come into that?” Gabriel asked randomly a little later, while the three of them were cuddling under a blanket and watching  _ “Twilight,” _ because they loved to make fun of it. “If the three of them had gotten together, this series would have worked so much better.” Was always the main point.

 

“Oh, well… Her family owned the house Ruby made me burn down. While I was getting clean, she helped me through it and made me forget about Ruby. Which, yeah, it’s a little ironic since the whole thing started with me using a beautiful girl to forget about someone, but whatever, you know? I want to marry her.” Sam grinned and Jess rolled her eyes.

 

“Did you pay her back for all the damage?” Gabriel asked. Sam bit his lip with a grin to hold back an innuendo. Jess, however, was much less restrained.

 

“Oh, he paid me back. In  _ sexual favors.” _ She winked and suddenly, Sam broke and began laughing. Gabriel joined in and they just laughed, laughed until they were crying.

 

“Say it… Out loud. Say it!”

 

This brought on another surge of laughter because Gabriel had suddenly shouted “Cookies!” as Bella said “Vampire.”

 

As their laughter died down into gleeful giggles and their night turned into braiding Sam’s hair and exchanging kisses, the trio forgot about the discussion, forgot about the discrimination their love still received, forgot about everything else except the love they had for each other, and the future they were so very happy to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, and remember, You Are Not Alone.


	5. Color and Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Relaxation and some strange meetings...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-betaed, mistakes are all mine. (Please comment if there are any ^_^)

**Dean**

 

Dean dragged himself into the shower after practice, sighing as the hot water flooded his senses. “I’m going to kill the coach one of these days.” He muttered, pushing his hair out of his face. His legs were sore from running plays, his arms ached from push-ups and shoving people out of the way, his chest ached from heavy breaths and being tense and ready for anything… It had been a good day. His next game wasn’t for another few weeks as the year had only just started and the team still needed coaching, but Dean loved sports. He’d been in baseball in middle school, practiced basketball in elementary school, and was catching and throwing since he could have a muscle memory. It was only a side project, though. He’d found a certain spark with working under the hood of a car, and that was his passion. He didn’t think anything would be able to change that. He tried to imagine a situation where he might break an arm, but they healed, and Dean was already very careful. Being a mechanic for vehicles just called to him, in a way. He rinsed off all of the sweat and grime before scrubbing down, washing his short hair in the process. After getting clean he stepped out and dried off, dressing in his favorite gray sweatpants and an old t-shirt. He dug out the fried chicken from earlier and nuked it, stretching out in front of the TV.

 

Dean had managed to get through nearly five episodes of Dr. Sexy when there was a knock on the door. He groaned as he sat up, muscles protesting the use. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked through the peephole in the door, and saw a random guy at the door. He looked weirdly familiar. The guy looked up and saw the peephole and smiled at Dean.  _ What the hell is up with those eyes? No eyes should be that blue. _ He opened the door and looked at him. “Can I help you?” He asked.

 

“I’m looking for Sam Campbell? We had a few classes together yesterday and he left some supplies behind.” He said, holding a plastic bag.

 

“Oh, uh, he’s my roommate. I can get those to him for you man,” Dean replied. The guy thanked him and handed over the bag. “Thanks for taking it back.” Dean flashed the stranger a smile and he responded with a soft one back.

 

“Art is very important to me. It would be a shame to see someone else lose that passion.” He explained. “So of course I would return it. I am, after all, not a heathen.” He chuckled. Dean snorted in laughter.

 

“Whatever you say, man. Have a good one,” He took the bag and stepped back, closing the door after the guy had said, ”you too.” Dean set the bag on a small table by the door to give Sam whenever he came back. He had just settled back onto the couch when he realized he hadn’t gotten the guy’s name. “Ah, crap.” He sighed and facepalmed. “Nice work, idiot.” He chastised himself before playing the next episode of Dr. Sexy, pulling out the last thigh in the bag beside him. Sam probably didn’t even know the guy too well. He’d hadn’t looked nervous about showing up though. Maybe they’d gotten to know each other during class? Had Sam invited him to the dorm without Dean knowing? Whatever it was, Dean didn’t really care. He was content as he watched his show and ate his fried chicken alone.

 

**Castiel**

 

“Honey, I’m home!” Came the cheery voice of Balthazar in the afternoon. Castiel could hear the sound of keys jangling as Balthazar walked in, and Castiel spared a glance up from his drawing to see him taking off his coat and setting his keys in the bowl they kept by the door for keys.

 

“Good afternoon, Balthazar.” Castiel greeted, returning to doing touchups on his solid lines of the sketch. His little assignment for Advanced Figure Drawing had turned into a monster. It was originally just going to be a lifeless figure, but then Castiel had felt it needed a heartbeat. So he turned it into a girl, head turned one way and hair going the other. He thought about doing watercolor for it and decided it might be fun to do color again. He was drawing with a calligraphy pen, swooping lines and sharp streaks easier to make for the outline. As he worked, he decided maybe to use his oil paints. They stayed better and kept color really well. He’d have to set up space for it though. He finished another difficult stroke for the hair, happy with how it turned out.

 

“Looks good, kid. Maybe we should team up one day and I can do a photo shoot of your artwork. A digital portfolio, perhaps? It sounds lovely.” He smiled to himself as he looked at Castiel’s drawing. It would look really amazing with color. Hell, if Castiel didn’t do anything further with it, it would still look incredible. His talent was amazing.

 

“Eventually, I suppose. Maybe when I’m at a four-year I’ll give you a call. Although if you wanted to take some snapshots of my work I wouldn’t protest.” Castiel decided, barely reacting to Balthazar’s sudden presence. His brothers had startled him while he would draw when he was young, and he would mess up on his drawing. So he had learned how to shut out his bodily reactions when someone tried to scare him abruptly. It made him able to draw for long periods of time and carry on a conversation. His hands were incredibly steady as well, so that contributed.

 

“That would be interesting. I wouldn’t mind displaying your work. This would work really well for undoctored photos!” Balthazar decided. “Well, I’m going out to the store soon. Anything specific you’d like for supper?” He asked. When Castiel shook his head, Balthazar nodded in response. “Alright. Pasta it is!” And left to get to his room.

 

Castiel worked on his drawing for a little longer before his phone buzzed in his pocket and he paused once he finished his line to check it. It was a text from Sam, who was in his art classes.

 

**Sam: Thanks for bringing my supplies to my room.**

Castiel frowned in confusion.

 

**Castiel: How did you know it was me? He didn’t ask my name.**

 

After a minute or two, a reply.

 

**Sam: He described you. He used the words ‘His eyes were so blue I think I was colorblind for ten minutes afterward.’ And there was no one else it could have been. Seriously, do you wear contacts?**

 

Castiel laughed softly at that. He enjoyed Sam’s company during class, and he hoped he could continue spending time with him outside of class. He punched out a reply with a smile.

 

**Castiel: No, the blue is natural. I’ve been told a lot of things about my eyes, but I think that was a new one. Tell him his eyes made me question the color of grass.**

 

**Sam: I’ll do that. Anyways, now my boyfriend and girlfriend want me to go to their dorm, so, bhye!**

 

**Sam: *bye**

 

Castiel looked at his last text for a moment. Boyfriend and girlfriend? As in friends that are both genders? He shrugged.  _ Who knows? _ He continued his drawing but was suddenly unmotivated to continue. Balthazar exited their bedroom and looked at Castiel with a curious stare.

 

“Did something happen?” He asked. “You’re not doodling. Was your hand tired?” It was then that Castiel noticed how tired he was. It had been a long day, full of a lot of socializing and interacting.

 

“Well, I suppose. But not just my hand.” Castiel yawned. “I think I might take a nap. Wake me when you return.” He muttered. Balthazar chuckled softly.

 

“Alright. Sleep well, Cassie.”

 

“Don’t call me that, Balthazar...”

 

“What? I can’t hear you,  _ Cassie.  _ Anyways, toodles!” And with that, the door shut and Balthazar was gone. 

 

Castiel let out a long sigh and ran a hand over his face into his hair as he settled onto the couch, closing his eyes for a nap.


	6. Suspense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on Dean's side, there's a party coming up. Looks like a certain someone is going too!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to keep posting weekly, but here's another chapter to make up for lost time. Been on a streak lately!

**Dean**

 

“Hey, Dean! Gabriel’s throwing an autumn party on the twenty-first.” Sam greeted as he walked in the door.

 

“Did you bring food?” Dean asked, shooting up from his spot on the couch as his best friend walked in. Sam held up a bag of takeout from a nearby Chinese takeout place. “Fuck yeah!” He grinned. He reached for it but Sam abruptly pulled it back.

 

“Did you even hear me?” Sam scoffed.

 

“Something about Gabriel. Come on Sam, I’m hungry!” Dean whined. Sam rolled his eyes.

 

“I want you to go to a party. Get off campus for a night. The house is close by, and it’s about a fifteen-minute drive. You don’t even have to stay long.”

 

“Is that guy in your art class going?” Dean asked, a growl in his tone.

 

“...Yes, and I want you to meet him. It’s in a week, Dean. You have time to prepare or whatever.” Sam shot back, and Dean sighed in defeat.

 

“Why haven’t you told me his name, Sam?” He asked with a frown. “I don’t like that you’re keeping secrets about this.” He crossed his arms, looking at Dean expectantly.

 

“I want you two to meet without any previous labels. When you meet you can judge him all you want. You’ve probably seen him a few times already, you know.” Sam mentioned. Dean quirked a brow.

 

“Well, what does he look like? And no, this isn’t meant to be judgemental. Genuine curiosity.” Dean assured. Sam shook his head.

 

“No judgments. I don’t want you thinking anything about him other than that I know him.”

 

“Fine, I’ll go to the stupid party,” Dean finally decided. “I’ll need an address eventually, though. Gotta know where this place is.” San smiled and nodded.

 

“All will be provided. Thanks for agreeing on this.” Sam replied. “And as I said, you still have a week to plan. So I suggest coming up with conversation starters for when you meet the guy.” He handed Dean the bag of takeout food finally, and Dean eyeballed it hungrily. He extracted one of the small containers and a pair of chopsticks, sitting in front of the TV and digging in. Sam joined him soon after.

 

_Later_

 

Dean went out that night to wander the campus but found himself in the small garden that was in the back. He loved it there, it was beautiful, serene, quiet. No one else was out at the time, and it was very comfortable. He sat on a bench beside the fountain that took up the center of a large round raised platform, looking up at the slowly appearing stars. A cheesy song played through his head and he chuckled softly, wondering how his brain got to be so girly all of a sudden. He blamed Sam. He turned his head to look at the back entrance of the college, then flinched in shock when he saw someone standing there. _“Jesus Christ!”_ He muttered in shock. The guy grinned over at him. As he got a little closer Dean recognized him.

 

“Hey there.” Benny greeted. Dean grit his teeth. He didn’t like this guy at all, but he was forced to get along with him if he wanted to stay on the team.

 

“Hey, Benny. What are you doing out here in twilight?” Dean asked. He sat up straighter as Benny flopped down beside him, not planning on dealing with any of that bullshit.

 

“Well I was headed out for a stroll, and then I spotted you out here as I was leaving. Good practice today, huh?” He drawled.

 

“I guess. Coach is a hard-ass.” Dean scoffed. Benny let out a rough laugh.

 

“That he is. But you get used to Gordon over time. He’s not so bad.” Benny shrugged. Dean hummed. “Sure, he’ll always be a hard-ass, but at least he’s a lovable hard-ass.”

 

“I doubt that.” There was a silence between them, tension running high. “Anyways, I’ve been out here awhile. I’m gonna head back to my dorm.” Dean said, standing. He had actually been out for a good hour and a half, and the sun had finally sunk out of sight. But he also wanted to get away from Benny.

 

“Alright. I’ll see you Friday, Brother.” Benny stood. “Might as well go for that walk.” Dean nodded and headed for the door, avoiding the temptation to growl back _“I’m not your brother.”_


	7. New Faces and Old Habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lesbihonest,* there's really nothing terrible about meeting new people, Dean. (*Like "Let's be honest," but basically a lesbian pun)

**Dean**

 

Dean was drenched. In sweat, that is. Football  practice had been vigorous yet again, and he was still doing cooldown exercises around the field. He put on a steady jog as he did laps, coming to a brisk walk at the end zones. Looking over to the bleachers as he hummed “Smells like Teen Spirit” he saw a girl sitting and typing furiously on a laptop. He smiled slightly. It wasn’t uncommon to see other students at the field during practice, but this was the first time it seemed the person just wanted some quiet time. He stepped off the field after finishing his lap and approached the stranger.

 

“Hey, the-”

 

“Not interested.” She interrupted abruptly. Dean stood gobsmacked for a moment. He’d been shot down before, but not so abruptly.

 

“Um… I wasn’t⎼ I just… um… I’m gonna go.” Dean took a careful step back. The redhead shot a glance up at him from her glasses. Dean was startled still by her.

 

“Charlie!” called someone behind Dean. Dean whipped around and saw a curly-haired brunette. The redhead perked up. “I was looking for you.” The brunette walked up to ‘Charlie’ and she stood.

 

“Sorry, hon,” Charlie said sheepishly and kissed the other girl’s cheek. Dean suddenly realized what was going on.

 

“Oh…” He said dumbly. Charlie looked at him and quirked a brow, which made the girl she was with flash a curious look at him.

 

“Who might you be? I’m Gilda.” The brunette asked. Dean smiled and extended a hand.

 

“Dean Winchester. I’m on the team.” He poked himself in the chest; his jersey displaying his team and with his free hand he shook Gilda’s hand. She made a face.

 

“No wonder Charlie was confused. She doesn’t like sports all that much.” Gilda teased, and Charlie huffed.

 

“LARPing is totally a sport. Physical and mental activity. Don’t hate on the kingdom.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and gave Gilda a look of annoyance.

 

“Sure, sure. Anyways, I’m sorry about Charlie. It was nice to meet you, Dean, but don’t you have to go change and stuff?” She asked. Dean looked at himself.

 

“Ah, yeah. It was nice to meet you too. And, see you around, I guess.” Dean scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and turned to leave. He bumped into someone as he walked to the locker room, and winced at the contact. “Sorry, man.” He apologized when he saw the guy glare. Dean heard Charlie in the background again.

 

“Castiel! Over here!” Dean kept walking, off the bleachers and into the small hallway that led to the locker room.

 

“If I have to bump into one more jock while I try to spend time with you Charlie, we’re seriously going to have to reconsider where we meet up. Or at least when.” Dean heard the guy, Castiel, he guessed, scoff in annoyance. Dean chuckled and went inside, changing and grabbing his duffle bag that had his equipment in it before he began the walk back to his dorm. He hadn’t had any run-ins with Benny, which was lucky for him, but he still frowned at the thought of bumping into him. He looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds gathering. Maybe it would rain soon. Summer only had four days left, and there was warmth, but it was slowly bleeding into colder days. He hoisted the strap of his duffel bag further on his shoulder, spotting the student housing area getting closer. He thought about events coming up and remembered the stupid party Sam wanted him to go to. The idea of being social was repulsive but he would do it anyways for his friend. He walked through the doors and sighed. The temperature of the air in here was always slightly colder in the afternoon and warmer in the mornings. He walked to the elevator and tapped the button for his floor, humming a random tune as it went up. Two other people got on on the second floor, and then it went straight to the fifth. He stepped out and walked to his room, unlocking the door with a key in his bag. He walked in and saw Sam and Gabriel sitting ramrod straight on the couch together, their faces bright red. Dean let out a groan when he realized what had been happening. He had to fumble for his keys a bit outside the door, and the too-perfect position he found them in said it all.

 

“Can’t you two do that shit in the other dorm?” He asked with a sigh. Sam’s face got even redder, and Gabriel bit his lip, likely to hold in a laugh. Dean walked towards the bathroom. “And don’t even think about it while I’m showering!” He called back. Gabriel burst out into laughter as Dean walked into the bathroom.

 

“It’s not that funny, Gabe. Sheesh, do you have any sense of shame?” Dean could practically feel the scorn in Sam’s voice.

 

“Hey, you were the one who initiated it when you knew perfectly well that Dean was coming back soon, so don’t try to pin this on me, mister!”

 

“Ugh, whatever. I’ve been stressed. Some relief is nice, alright?” Sam replied.

 

“Well, maybe try something other than sticking your hands down my jeans.” Gabriel snarked.

 

“ _ I  _ **_really_ ** _ don’t want to hear about your sexcapades, Sam!” _ Dean yelled, trying to cover his ears and not pay attention. All that he was met with was more laughter from Gabriel and sam calling

 

“Jerk!”

 

“Bitch!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, but I'm not going to bore you with details about my life. Hopefully seeing Charlie made up for it?


	8. Mystery Solved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the tension is released. OR IS IT??? Nah, things are good.
> 
> Or are they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shoves chapter out* TAKE IT!

**Castiel**

 

“I really don’t see the purpose, Sam.” Castiel set his pencil down and looked at his friend... Friend?  _ It does seem to be the most proper term. _

 

“Castiel, My best friend doubts everything I do. Mostly, I just want to prove him wrong. Plus, I think you two will get along well. You’re practically the same person if you take away some of the annoying personality quirks.” Sam replied, voice hushed even though they had been put to work together by Chuck. Chuck really didn’t care, but he still wanted to be respectful to the people working around them…. Not that they seemed to care either.

 

“So this is mostly about your problems with your roommate? I don’t mind going there to meet him, but I do not wish to be the anchor to your personal dilemma.” Castiel sighed, picking his pencil up again. He set back to work on his drawing, continuing to listen to what Sam was saying.

 

“It’s one evening. Less than that, you don’t have to stick around longer than to meet him. He doesn’t particularly want to go either, but he was willing to give up an hour. Not that he has much to do anyway. He just sits around eating weird foods and complaining about football.” Sam scoffed, twirling his pencil around his fingers.

 

“It isn’t like you’re much better. I still don’t know why you’re in this class when clearly you would succeed as a lawyer better. Probably be more entertaining, too.” Castiel shot back.

 

“Ouch. I’m wounded. Whatever. Will you go?” Sam asked.

 

“Fine, fine. But I can’t promise much more than an introduction.” Castiel replied with a heavy sigh. “When is it?” He asked, gathering details on the party.

 

“It’s Friday night, and my boyfriend asks that people start showing up at eight.” Sam clarified. Castiel nodded it, dedicating it to memory.

 

“Alright. And where?” Castiel asked.

 

“I’ll text you.”

 

“Wonderful. I'll see you then, Sam.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

_ And so, our heroes were destined to meet. in just two short days… Ah, what's the point of this? Y’all just want the gay shit. Two days later… or something. _

 

**Dean**

 

Tonight was the night. Sam was excited about this, Dean could already tell that much. However, Dean was starting to feel anxious. Sam had assured him the guy was nice, that he was even quieter than Jess, really. He might just ignore Dean after they met. But Dean still didn't like being social in general, and it was at a  _party._ Excuse him if he was anxious.

 

“I don’t know, Sammy. Are you sure that our meeting is a good id-”

 

“Dean, you’ve tried to get out of this a million times already. I told you, everything will be fine. This guy isn’t like Ruby. He’s nothing but a little weird, socially awkward, artsy kid. And he doesn’t quite know a lot about pop culture. Keep the references to a minimum. And try not to poison his brain.” Sam pleaded. Dean took one hand off the wheel in exasperation, also making an ‘okay fine, I give up.’ gesture. He turned the radio on, turning it up to a volume that meant no talking allowed, the tension of the past week building.

 

When they pulled up to the building, there weren’t many cars there. Three or four at most, which meant there would only be six or seven other people. That was good because Dean just wanted to get in, meet this guy Sam was fawning over, then get out. God forbid he get sucked into the party. He walked up to the house after locking his car, knocking on the door.

 

“There you two are!” Gabriel greeted with a grin. He sidestepped to allow them inside, shutting the door behind them. “He's over in the living room. Probably drawing or something.”

 

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised. Only he could sit in the middle of a gathering and avoid talking. Well, maybe Dean would be able to.” They laughed when Dean scoffed at them before they walked into the living room. Gabriel walked somewhere else, probably to spike some poor underage sap's drink. There was a guy with familiar scruffy black hair sitting on a couch, curled into himself and scribbling at a piece of paper. 

 

_ “There’s no way…" _

 

“Hey, stranger!” Sam called joyfully. The guy didn’t even jump but paused and slowly set his pencil and paper down to look over. As Dean stared, striking blue eyes stared back.

 

“Sam. And… is this the man you were talking about?” The guy asked. Sam nodded. 

 

“This is Dean Winchester, my best friend since forever. Dean, This is-” the guy cut Sam off.

 

“Castiel Novak. Nice to meet you, Dean. Sam’s told me all about you. Well, except for your name.”

 

Dean could feel his frustration with Sam growing more intense. He had met this guy so many times, on so many occasions, and only _now_ they were meeting? He would kick Sam's ass for this. “Yeah. Same here. I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out who you are.” He said casually instead.

 

“Well, I’ll leave you two to chat.” To avoid Dean's wrath, Sam shuffled off to find Gabriel.

 

"I'm going to kill him." Castiel just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's short, but I really just wanted to get this out so I didn't have it taking up space. This is one of a few chapters I have planned out already. If the second half seems a little off that's why. But yay! Exposition is over, and now the real story can actually get in.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading this far! :)


	9. Friends for Everyone, Now With Dean!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel and Dean chat a bit, and Dean winds up getting sucked in...

**Dean**

 

"I'm going to kill him." Castiel just laughed.

 

“His method of trying to get us to meet each other was… unproductive. That’s for certain. Although I'm sure he had his reasons.” He crossed his arms and sat back on the couch. “But I’ve seen you so many times. I don’t know how we never actually met.” Dean nodded.

 

“Yeah. I saw you like, Wednesday, right? I think I even heard your name.” Dean plopped onto the couch near him.

 

“Oh, so it _was_ you I had bumped into. I recognized your face, but you didn’t look at me so I couldn’t tell. I saw your last name though. Winchester?” Dean hummed. “That’s an odd last name.” Castiel tilted his head.

 

“As if “Novak” is any less weird.” Dean pointed out.

 

“Touche.” Castiel closed his notebook, but Dean suddenly remembered how Castiel and Sam had met and became interested.

 

“So you and Sam met in art, right? He’s told me you’re pretty good.” Dean asked. He mostly just wanted to see how much this guy could take when it came to Dean's pestering.

 

“Yes. He and I have several classes we attend together. Although I think he would benefit in other areas." Dean laughed.

 

“Yeah, his partners and I keep telling him that he should stop wasting his time here and apply to Stanford but he refuses to listen. I think he's just too nervous to.” Dean shrugged. Castiel chuckled, nodding.

 

"Certainly. Art isn't for everyone. I think he'd do well as a lawyer." He added.

 

"Yeah! I'm going to tell him you said that. Anyway, do you think I could look at some of your work? I'm just curious. Not trying to pry." Dean asked.

 

“I… Yes, I suppose. I have my notebook with most of my work here. I’ve been working on this one line drawing…” Castiel awkwardly pulled his notebook back out and opened it. Dean could see the love in the notebook on first glance, paper fibers falling all over the place like small feathers, the covers taped onto the spine as if they had been falling off a long time ago. It made him think of his car. Used, old, but still his best friend. His baby. Then he looked at the drawings, and his jaw dropped. The first drawing was a cat, but it looked like it was made of... dots?

 

“What’s up with the dots?”

 

“It’s a shading technique. Stippling. These first few pieces are just shading techniques. And experimenting with drawing animals.” Dean was swept into more art, different styles. A cross-hatched horse, contour hatched fish, other shading styles. And then he got to his line drawings…

 

“Did you just come up with this one?” Dean asked as Castiel almost flipped past one of them. Castiel went silent.

 

“That’s… a personal project.” He said, smoothing out the new page. Dean frowned slightly but didn’t push. “It isn’t done yet. I don’t really want anyone to see it.”

 

“Oh, okay. I’m sure it’ll be great. All of these other ones look amazing. If I hadn’t seen you drawing earlier, I would have assumed these were traced.” Dean chuckled. Castiel ducked his head a little, and Dean thought he could see Castiel’s cheeks get a little color.

  
“Thank you,” Castiel muttered, then closed his notebook and stood. Dean followed his movement.

 

“Anyways, it was cool to meet you. You’re not as big of a nerd as I originally thought.” Dean stuck out his hand for a handshake.

 

“Yes, it was… nice to meet you, as well.” He shook Dean’s hand and smiled a little at him. Dean dropped his grip but got a little lost in Castiel’s eyes. It was only interrupted by someone slapping him on the shoulder.

 

“Dean-o! Come on, Sam made a new friend, too!” Dean whipped around and glared at Gabriel.

 

“I was kind of in the middle of a-”

 

“Hello, Gabriel,” Castiel said suddenly. Dean turned back around. “Thank you for inviting me here, even though I doubt I would have had a choice with Sam.” He stuck his notebook into what must have been a pocket inside of his jacket.

 

“Hiya, Castiel! How’s your roommate been? Balthazar, right?” Gabriel grinned over at him.

 

“Wait, you two know each other?” Dean asked. But the conversation went on.

 

“Yes, he’s doing well. Although I believe he has an addiction to pasta.” Castiel sighed. Gabriel laughed.

 

“It definitely seems like it. Want to go see Sam as weird questions about his mom?”

 

“Absolutely.” Gabriel grinned.

 

“Great. Come on, Dean!” Dean didn’t know how it came to this, but somehow, staying for long enough to introduce himself to Castiel became an hour, two hours, and suddenly it was midnight and Dean was carrying Sam out to the Impala. As he laid in bed that night, at almost one in the morning, he questioned how this was his life. But when he remembered some of the things he’d learned, he realized maybe it was alright to do something for himself once in a while. He woke up with that same stupid smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt so forced... I'm sorry if it's bad >.<


	10. A Friendly Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel is visiting Sam and Dean, (minus the Winchester)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but things got hectic in my life again (Wow, what a surprise) and I couldn't figure out what to write. This was originally twice as long, so I split it in half. The subjects were pretty different, so this one's got a lot of Sam/Cas dialogue. It's pretty short, but the next chapter has a bunch of Destiel moments, so I hope that makes up for it!

**Castiel**

 

The following day, Castiel was invited over to Sam and Dean’s dorm room after class. Sam had told him that Dean had auto shop right after they got out, so he wouldn’t be there until almost three-thirty. Castiel was packing up his art supplies and chatting with Sam, well, Sam was talking and Castiel was giving short responses.

 

“So do you guys get along so far?” Sam was asking while they discussed their roommates.

 

“Balthazar is… a character. He cares a lot about his photography business.” Castiel replied, carefully arranging his sketching crayons in order of tone.

 

“Oh, neat! Is he a photographer then? How does he afford it?” Sam muttered the last part under his breath, but Castiel still heard him.

 

“Well, you’ve heard what his mother does. She’s a lawyer in a highly esteemed firm. They’re not exactly middle class.” He explained. Sam facepalmed.

 

“That’s right. I keep forgetting that someone as… obscure as Balthazar could have such a straight-edged parent.” Sam smiled sheepishly and slung his bag over his shoulder. Castiel tried not to wince, knowing he had delicate drawing utensils in there.

 

“He is a bit odd.” Castiel agreed and picked up his bag and case; more delicately than Sam. He walked to the door after bidding a distracted Chuck a farewell. They arrived at the Student Housing area in less than ten minutes, then it was a quick elevator ride to the fifth floor.

 

“Here we are,” Sam said, breaking the companionable silence. Sam fumbled for his key for a minute before victoriously pulling it out, unlocking and opening the door. “Dean! Castiel’s here!” Castiel shuffled a little uncomfortably, unsure what to do. He didn’t have many friends, and the friends he did have didn’t usually invite him to their dormitory room. Sam gestured to a couch. “You can set your stuff by the couch if you want. Make yourself comfortable.” He suggested, likely noticing how uncomfortable Castiel felt. Castiel relaxed when he was given instruction, following through and setting his stuff down, sitting on the couch. “Dean? Where are you at?” Sam walked further into the building.

 

“I… I believe you said earlier he would be in his class until three-thirty,” Castiel said, deciding to settle Sam’s mind. Sam facepalmed.

 

“Right. Of course.” He chuckled, then plopped himself beside Castiel. “So… What to do,” Sam sighed.

 

“This is your dormitory. I have no preference as to what we do. If you have the desire to simply converse, that is fine with me.” Castiel shrugged. Sam ran a hand through his long hair.

 

“I don’t know. What time is it?” Sam looked up at a clock in the room, which proudly declared it was 3:12. “Ugh… I wonder if Gabe and Jess are busy.” He muttered.

 

“Those two are your friends, right?” Castiel asked, making sure he could identify the relationship.

 

“No, we’re a trio. They’re my boyfriend and girlfriend… It’s complicated,” Sam said, pulling out his phone, likely to text someone.

 

“So, a polyamorous relationship? Interesting.” Castiel scratched the stubble on his chin. Sam huffed a laugh.

 

“I guess it’s not that complicated after all.” He said, locking his phone again after sending a message. “Yeah. We’ve been together for a little under a year. Gabriel was the most recent addition,” He explained. Castiel sat back on the couch, relaxing a little.

 

“Wow. That’s a while for that kind of relationship. The only other one that I’ve seen fell apart miserably after only three months.” Castiel complimented.

 

“It helps that we keep like, no secrets. We probably spend like an hour apiece describing everything that happened. Plus, we all have different needs in a relationship that we all satisfy.” Sam explained.

 

“Ah. I have heard that communication is the number one thing everyone needs to abide by in any relationship, but ones involving multiple people, in particular, require a lot of communication.”

"Yeah. A lot of people have difficulty communicating when it comes to relationships. I prioritize communication, honesty, and integrity, because a lack of these things has led me down some... bad paths." Sam's eyes grew distant, and Castiel noticed the frown that joined his face. It went away after a shake of his head. "Anyways, Gabriel should be coming by soon. Want to just talk and relax, watch TV?" Sam asked. Castiel nodded.

 

"Yeah, I'd like that."


	11. Overthinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look, girl moments!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter!

**Castiel**   


 

“Hey! You there, Sammoose?” Came a voice from outside. “I caught the Winchester!” It said.

 

“That’s Gabriel!” Sam stood, grinning. He got up and opened the door, stepping to the side. In walked Gabriel with Dean, Jess coming in shortly after. “Hey, guys! How’ve you been?” Sam asked, giving Gabriel and Jess hugs. Dean walked out of the room to the corner and opened a door, likely the one leading into his bedroom.

 

“Not horrible. We wandered around for most of the day once I got out of anatomy.” Jess leaned in and kissed Sam’s cheek, then walked over to the kitchen and sat on the counter.

 

“Yup. Mostly just missed you. She kept complaining that my arms weren’t long or muscular enough to hug her right.” Gabriel added, sticking his tongue out at Jess, who giggled. Sam kissed Gabriel and then walked over to Jess, likely to hug her. Castiel wasn’t really paying attention, he was trying to make himself invisible in the small group of people. He had felt okay when it was just Sam, but as soon as the others came in, he wanted to hide. Especially Dean. Call him a fifteen-year-old girl, but he was a nerdy art kid and Dean was the school’s quarterback. He wasn’t much taller than him, but he was built like he was full of bricks and probably three billion times better looking. Castiel had bared his soul to him through his art and Dean had taken him in and kept it safe. Castiel was intimidated by his selflessness.

 

_ “Goddamnit Castiel, stop being so dramatic.” _ He shook his head, then looked up at the sound of a door shutting. Dean was walking out, and Castiel shot him a small smile. Dean spotted him and his face practically lit up.

 

“Hey! Cas, isn’t it?” Dean asked, sitting down on the other end of the couch. Castiel tilted his head.

 

“Castiel, actually. Unless you shortened it because you were nicknaming me. Sam said you do that a lot.” Castiel replied, drawing his knees to his chest.  _ “As if that would protect you more.” _ His brain laughed insultingly. Castiel ignored it, focusing on the conversation.

 

“Well, maybe I did it unconsciously. What do you think of just ‘Cas?’” Dean asked, flashing that award-winning smile. Castiel’s heart jumped into his throat in fear.

 

“That sounds fine, I suppose.” He shrugged, and Dean nodded, stretching out on the couch.

 

“You should know he only does that with the people he likes.” Gabriel came up behind Castiel and poked his shoulder. Castiel nearly jumped out of his skin, but he managed to catch himself and calm down.

 

“Oh, really?” Castiel said instead, looking over at Dean.

 

“Eh, you’re pretty cool I guess. For an art nerd.” Dean stood up, punching Castiel on the shoulder playfully as he walked by.

 

_ “Oh my god, he thinks I’m cool!!” _ Castiel’s right brain offered. He chuckled weakly. “Thanks…” Castiel rubbed his shoulder where Dean hit it. It hadn’t hurt a lot, but he’d hit a muscle just right so it ached. Gabriel patted him sympathetically and walked off. Castiel looked over and saw Jess looking at him with her eyes narrowed, then she glanced at Dean. She did this a couple more, her gaze contemplative. Castiel didn’t know what she was thinking about, but he wasn’t sure he liked it… She nodded and stopped abruptly, going back to talking with Sam.

 

“Want a drink, Cas?” Dean called from the kitchen. Castiel blinked at the sudden change in his attention. “Don’t worry, I didn’t buy it illegally. I look young but I’m not twenty, Jeez…” Dean was mumbling to himself. Castiel looked over to see him grabbing two drinks from the fridge, even though-

 

_ “Oh, it was for Sam.” _ This football player would be the thing that made him go crazy. He just couldn’t figure him out. He was nice, intelligent, maybe too nice. If Castiel found out he worked with orphaned baby animals he was pretty sure he would die. He was just… too much. Tall, handsome, smart, generous, ugh.  _ “Shut the hell up, brain. I’m a strong person too.” _ He tried to argue. Dean was sitting down and settling on the couch again.

 

“Bitch, where?”

 

_ “NOT HELPING, GABRIEL!” _ He thought, feeling intimidated by Dean again.

 

“You hadn’t said anything, so I just kinda assumed you weren’t interested. Anything interesting you’ve been working on, art-wise? Your drawings yesterday were actually really cool, even though it was kinda nerdy. Call me a girl, but I like art. I’m more of a musical person, but visual art is really cool to look at.” Castiel wasn’t even paying attention to what Dean said. All he caught was “Art,” and “cool” and “You”. His brain was falling apart for sure. If Castiel did much more thinking, he was pretty sure he’d rip his own brain out.

 

"Huh?" He asked dumbly.

 

"I-" Dean shook his head and sighed. "Never mind. I was wondering if you had any other art pieces you'd been working on. I liked looking at the ones in your notebook last night."

 

"Right. Sorry, I was thinking. I've got a couple others, I suppose. I'll show them to you." Castiel got up and grabbed his backpack. His brain was giving reasons not to show him, but he took a deep breath and banished the thoughts. He took out his personal notebook, not the style practice/class one he'd let Dean flip through the day before. If he thought he baring his soul before, then this was like giving it to him. If he laughed at him now, Castiel thought he might die. He opened the notebook to the image of John Legend knockoff guy and began to explain to Dean's interested eyes.


	12. Fanboys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting evil by moonlight, fanboying over anime girls by daylight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry.

**Dean**

As Dean surveyed the picture, he began to see more of the story.

“This one was inspired by one of my classmates from high school. He was what inspired me to start drawing, actually.” Castiel said, running a hand fondly around the edge. “He played a lot of instruments but liked guitar best. I looked up to him while I tried to get through my “Fine art” class, Orchestra. I was never any good at it though. He performed at one of the last rallies of the year, and that’s where this comes from. Our gymnasium was small, just a dimly lit black stage and chairs that students had to set out. So he got up there with a microphone and played his heart out.” Castiel’s eyes looked distant, and Dean saw his mouth twitch into a soft smile.

“What was he singing?” Dean asked, trying to pull his companion back to the world. It must have worked because Castiel answered after blinking.

“All of Me. John Legend. It’s… my favorite song.” He replied. Dean could practically feel the emotion in the picture, reflecting what he could see Castiel expressing. Wonder, awe, the beginning of a change...

“It’s awesome. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play guitar… But I love my current stuff. It’s a lot of work though, so it’d probably end up being more about the stress relief. It’s an incredible picture though. Although…” Dean pointed to the length of the guitar along the neck. “You’re missing the position markers. And acoustic guitars have six tuners, three on each side. Not four.” He said, pointing out little things on the guitar that he had mistaken. Even with the mistakes there, it was believable. He had the basic of what it looked like, with a lot of detail, but the positions and things were off. Dean pointed these things out and Castiel wrote them down on the side. “If I ever get a guitar, I’d be happy to loan you it to help with things.” He grinned. Castiel looked at Dean in shock.

“You’d… You’d model for me?” Castiel asked. Dean shrugged.

“Why not? I’d be happy to help a friend out.” He replied. Castiel smiled wider, still just barely there. Castiel looked back down to his notebook, turning the page. Dean saw Castiel’s face get red, and the man hurriedly began flipping pages.

“S-sorry. I went through a phase a while back and… it’s personal.” He explained. Dean raised a brow. “I don’t like thinking about it. I refuse to throw any of my art away though because otherwise, I won’t be able to showcase all of the stuff I’ve done.”

“No, I just wanted to know what the phase was about.” He said, stopping Castiel’s flipping motion. Dean caught a glimpse of one and gently put Castiel’s hand down. “Is that… Minako Aino?” He asked. Castiel’s eyes widened.

“You’ve seen Sailor Moon?” He asked suddenly. Dean hushed him.

“Hush! If Sam finds out we’re talking about this he’ll never let me live it down!” He hissed. Castiel’s eyes were still wide.

“I thought I was the only guy who…” Castiel cautiously flipped a couple pages back. It was a really well-done image of Sailor Moon, split down the middle, the other half showing Usagi Tsukino. “I was a huge fan of the show for a while. I only have a few drawings, but I did one inked one that’s back in my dorm room that’s bigger of all the characters in poses.” He said. Dean was busy gently running his fingers along the edges of Luna’s frame.

“Wow, this is awesome! I knew I wasn’t the only one, but this makes me think you traced it! If I hadn’t seen you physically drawing things yesterday then I would never have guessed you drew this.” Dean complimented. Castiel was grinning, and he turned back to the image of Minako.

“I liked Sailor Venus the best. She appealed to me more for some reason. And then, of course, I loved Saturn Uranus and Neptune.” Castiel said.

“Well yeah, those three were such strong characters. I was confused about Haruka’s gender when I read the manga, but then I just assumed she was a woman based on the others.”

“Her hair was pretty confusing. But her style versus the male characters was what told me. Mamoru especially.” Castiel explained. Dean nodded.

“That makes sense. I’m surprised I didn’t figure that out.” Then he bit his lip, a blush dusting his cheeks. “I dressed up as Tuxedo mask in Middle school. There was a girl who went as Sailor Saturn and she was one of the only ones who understood my costume. People kept asking why my hair was dyed black. I was so embarrassed for a while, but we ended up being friends.” He chuckled. “Although… things ended up not working out.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Lisa just… She found out some stuff about me and then dropped me like a rock.” Castiel looked at him sympathetically.

“Well, that’s too bad. Anyone who can appreciate a good anime with strong female leads is alright according to me.” He said, turning the page in his notebook. Dean and Castiel continued talking about Sailor Moon for a while between drawings, then Castiel had to leave for his psychology class. Dean and the others bade him farewell, and then shortly after, Gabriel and Jess left.

“So he wasn’t so bad, right Dean?” Sam asked randomly as they were settling in to eat. It was Saturday; therefore it was random noodle night. They were chowing down on some noodle that looked like little crinkled hot dog buns.

“Who?” Dean replied, clueless as to who Sam was talking about.

“Castiel. You two seemed to get along pretty well earlier. Not as bad as you thought?” Sam asked, taking another bite of…

_“Cartella? No…”_ Dean tried to remember what the noodles were called while he gave a half-assed answer. “Yeah, yeah. It was cool. The guy’s nice. Hey, what were these noodles called?” He asked.

“Cavatelli. I think you owe me an apology then.” Sam replied. Dean raised a brow.

“For what?” He asked, spearing a piece of broccoli on his fork. Normally he wouldn’t like things like this, but the pasta had been made well. The sauce with it was also a plus.

“You told me I don’t make good decisions when it comes to my choices of friends. That I can’t pick people ‘healthy’ for me.” Sam replied. Dean huffed and shrugged.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want things to end up how they did before. I was terrified back then. I know you can take care of yourself. You’re an adult.” He shook his head. “I guess Cas is cool. Let’s just forget I ever said it, and keep eating this rabbit food.” Sam rolled his eyes, chuckling.

“Rabbit food that you clearly love.”

“Shut it, bitch.”

“Jerk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	13. The Great American Sport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean's got a game, Castiel and Sam are in attendance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter took so long to get out. Holidays are hectic, plus finals are going on. I'll probably update a couple times in the next week or so. I've got most of chapter 14 written already.

**Castiel**

 

Over the course of the next two weeks, Castiel spent most of his free afternoons with Sam and Dean. He was growing more comfortable around them, Gabriel, and Jess. He felt confident enough to facilitate conversations at least. He was walking with Sam to Dean’s football game on a Friday, something that Castiel normally would never do. He’d usually go to meet Charlie and Gilda out by the fountain, but Dean had insisted that Castiel go. Ever since he’d helped Dean study for a math test( He hadn’t taken a third math year so he had to take the class.), and Dean had passed with flying colors, Dean had been claiming that Castiel was his good luck charm. Gabriel kept commenting on it being hilarious, but Dean ignored him. He seemed to do that a lot, ignoring Gabriel. Castiel snagged onto a stroke of inspiration when he saw Dean. His head was turned as he took off his helmet, sweat flying everywhere. He had a giant smile on his face, green eyes sparkling in the cold sunlight. He held his helmet in one hand, water bottle in the other. Castiel snapshotted the image mentally, walking to greet his next project.

 

“Hey, Sam. Cas! glad you came, buddy. We’re already doing pretty well, but the other team just called timeout so I was coming to get a drink.” He said. Sam nodded. “Sitting where you usually do?”

 

“Yeah. Good luck out there!” They bade Dean farewell and he jogged off as they walked onto the bleachers. Castiel whipped out his notebook as soon as he sat down, pouring his thoughts onto paper. He started with an outline, but couldn’t get much further than that, because Sam was leaning into his space. “Whatcha drawing?” He asked.

 

“It’s a personal project. I got a kick of inspiration, I must act upon it before I lose it.” He explained. Sam must have been satisfied with the answer, either that or the football game intrigued him more because his focus shifted away. Castiel let out a relieved sigh and continued drawing. He was pretty proud of how detailed he could make it because he was pretty close to people wearing the exact same thing as Dean. He just had to adjust body sizes to fit Dean’s figure. He finished getting the general shape of Dean’s form and moved to his arms, putting them in the right position and getting the details of what he was holding correctly. It took him a while, but he was finally satisfied with a fairly basic sketch, some notes on the side about things to add, change, and correct, and how the lighting worked in the picture. He slid his notebook back into his backpack and returned his attention to Dean’s game. Apparently, this was good timing, because the crowd erupted into cheers. He was clueless until he heard someone yell;

 

**_“Touchdown!”_ ** and things made more sense. He looked to the end zone where people were gathered near whoever just scored and saw some dork dancing like an idiot. It took him a heartbeat longer to realize it was Dean, and he felt laughter bubble in his chest. Dean jogged back to his group, who gave him high fives before setting up for a field goal. Castiel wasn’t really paying attention anymore, but he zoned out while watching them play. The repetitive motions of running, cheering, stopping, resetting, and then running again soothed him a little. He checked out the scoreboard and saw that Dean’s team was now up by three points, the other team at only at seven while their home team was at ten. Castiel leaned against the empty bleacher behind him and closed his eyes. Even though people were loud, Castiel still somehow managed to rest.

 

_ A short while later _

 

“Cas! Cas, they won!” Someone was shaking him awake.

 

“Huh, what? Oh, hello Sa- augh!” Castiel was enveloped in a hug from Sam. “Sam, what..” Castiel chuckled and managed to pry himself away from Sam in order to look at the field. The players were moving off the field, towards the locker room. Sam pulled Castiel up and jumped giddily, taking him off the bleachers and outside the stadium. “Why are we moving so quickly?” Castiel asked.

 

“The other people coming out are going to swarm out soon. I wanted to beat the herd. Also, Dean usually showers in our dorm since we’re close. He’ll probably be one of the first people out.” Sam explained, not really making eye contact. He seemed to be fixated on the door proclaiming “Men’s Locker Room.” As expected, less than two minutes later a familiar blonde head popped out of the locker room.

 

“Hey, guys!” Dean grinned. Castiel could see he was tired but happy. There were clear signs of exhaustion, his eyes slightly distant, he moved a little slowly as he approached (Although that may have been the weight from his gear), and he was still breathing a little heavier than usual. Dean patted Castiel on the shoulder and together they walked to Dean and Sam’s dorm. Castiel mostly smiled and nodded, absolutely clueless what Sam and Dean were talking about when they were discussing how the game went. “The defense for our team was pretty solid, but that might just be because the other team’s offense was so slow. Their wide receivers were so lost. Maybe if Brady didn’t suck so much at communicating, then maybe they would work smoother.” Dean was saying.

 

“Guy’s quick though. Maybe if their receivers were faster, Ty would focus on them more. Benny was still doing his own thing today. Has he still not realized that he needs to listen to you?” Sam asked. Dean groaned.

 

“Man, Lafitte is the worst. He’s built like a rock though, which is why he makes a good tackler. Must be all he’s good for though.” Dean snorted. “I’d rather have him off the team, but he’s important… He’s my senior, so I have to be ‘nice’ to him. Ugh, I can’t wait till the season’s over in December.” Dean sighed, his breath billowing in the cold air. “Then I won’t even have to wait until January to worry about him!” He sighed happily. Castiel chuckled softly. Dean’s passion for his sport was interesting. On one hand, he seemed to love the sport, a good competitor for a scholarship into a private college, but on the other hand, he seemed to hate his teammates. Although he also seemed to love his auto shop class… 

  
_ “I wonder what career Dean is actually interested in.” _ He thought as they took a break from their walk so Dean could readjust and take a drink from his water bottle.  _ “Or how he’ll go about doing one of those.” _ He continued thinking, subconsciously mapping the small details of Dean’s face for his drawing. They continued walking, Castiel continued thinking, Sam and Dean continued talking, and Castiel prepared to ask Dean a pretty personal question.  _ “It really shouldn’t be this difficult to ask a question. Why am I so nervous?” _ He frowned at himself.  _ “Maybe it’s because you think you won’t like the answer.” _ The unhelpful part of his brain suggested. Castiel looked at Dean, cheerfully chatting away. There was no way Dean could have a selfish reason for it. He was probably just overthinking.  _ “You’ve been doing that a lot lately when you’re around him. You should just stop thinking. He’s proven he won’t abuse your feelings like-” _ Castiel shook his head to clear it, then began to speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Un-beta'd, so please let me know if you catch any mistakes! Or just comment, because I love those.


End file.
